


Subject: Considerations regarding improved intellectual control

by Megkips



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Epistolary, Gen, archives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 18:35:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12563632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megkips/pseuds/Megkips
Summary: Practical archival considerations are given to the holdings of the Magnus Archives.





	Subject: Considerations regarding improved intellectual control

**Author's Note:**

  * For [labocat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/labocat/gifts).



To: s.james@magnus-institute.org  
From: j.sims@magnus-institute.org  
Date: 4 January 2016  
Subject: Considerations regarding improved intellectual control

Jonathan,

Below is a formalized report of what we discussed at the staff meeting the other day regarding getting the archives back into working order. Let me know if there are questions or concerns, then I’ll add this to the formal record groupings.

Sasha James  
Assistant Archivist, Archives  
The Magnus Institute

\----

Considerations Regarding Improved Intellectual Control of the Archives at the Magnus Institute  
Prepared by Sasha James, Assistant Archivist  
4 January, 2016

Summary  
Following the death of archivist Gertrude Robinson, it was discovered that the archives of the Magnus Institute were in disarray, with no organization to the materials within. Robinson’s tenure of fifty years meant that the lack of organization was a problem for the Institute, both with regards to knowing it’s holdings and being able to access material generated. The archives, part of the Magnus Institute, primarily hold the statements collected by the Institute, but also includes contemporary records generated by it, as well as a smattering of original manuscript collections such as that of Jonah Magnus. 

However, the lack of organization by Robinson allows for the re-organization of material, relying on contemporary archival practices, with the goal of improving access for internal use, as well as external (if so requested).

Existing documentation  
At present, there are have been no found inventories of statements given to the Magnus Institute generated by Gertrude Robinson, nor have there been any previous inventories from the archivist prior to her. This is a curious fact, and one that bears looking into when time permits. Records management schedules exist for the current Magnus Institute, and that information is in tact due to wide use by the Institute itself. Records management is a non-factor in the rest of this report.

There are finding aids for the manuscript material, which totals one full row of shelving in the archives. Most important is the manuscript material belonging to the Institute’s founder, Jonah Magnus, and seems to have been processed by previous archivists, rather than Gertrude Robinson. Note that three dimensional items and material with strange properties is held in artifacts storage rather than in the archive.

At present, an attempt to survey the piles left by Robinson and determine any thematic groupings of statements that have been thrown together has yielded no results. However, surveying will continue throughout the archive to account for all of the statements, so that when they are re-organized, we can confirm that every group has been attended to

Re-Organization, Processing, and Respect des Fonds  
With the ability to reorganize and improve the archive, the question of how best to do so becomes pertinent. Archivists rely on the concept of respect des fonds, which proposes that the order of documents should be kept close (or as close as possible) to the original order of the individual or institution who generated the documents that comprise the archival collection. This helps demonstrate the approach of the original creator and preserves the integrity of the records.

This would suggest that the only way forward is to organize material by statement number. That ensures that the records generated are kept in the order intended by the institute. However, there are complicating factors.  
Organized like this, there’s no way to remember the specific events of a statement without making extensive notes and committing those notes to an inventory. (See below section about a local vocabulary for additional thoughts on this.) To research, follow up, or make connections, one will have to dig through boxes of disparate statements to find the right one  
This does not account for the order of recorded statements, which are not in chronological order.  
If an investigation is extensive and requires more documentation than usual, then material in archival boxes will be shifted around. The potential to have to move material from box to box is unwelcome at best and time consuming at worst, as it demands that inventories also be updated.

The matter of approach needs to be discussed. Options for final organization include:  
Chronological by date of statement given  
Chronological by investigation conclusion  
Thematically grouped, then put in chronological order  
Chronological by recording date  
Additional options proposed by staff.

Option four leads to another consideration

Local Vocabulary  
Artifacts storage has it’s own keywords to denote objects and the phenomena they display, as words to indicate status and how safe it is to approach an object. Developing a similar list for the archives would be advisable in order to improve locating statements, and indeed the archives can begin to generate their vocabulary by beginning with the one used for artifacts. While this does require a number of statements to be reviewed before creating said vocabulary (a larger group would be better, possibly 100), once developed it can be used and expanded for our needs. 

Since we have begun recording some statements, I would like to suggest the following to start off with:  
Recorded by Jonathan Simms  
Awaiting investigation  
Investigation concluded  
Statement debunked  
Statement in question

Potential other means of description include geographic location, time period the statement relates to since some can come in decades after the fact, and names of individuals. The application of these keywords can be used in an inventory or as suggested in point four regarding the archive’s final organization.

Temporary Solutions  
Until a final approach is figured out, the Magnus Archives could and should consider the doing the following:

Conclude the survey of material left behind by Gertrude Robinson  
Any and all recorded and investigated statements should be set aside. Paper, including the original statement and investigation documentation, should be stored in acid free archival folders and placed into a manuscript box with the original statement placed first in the folder. Recorded tapes should be placed in acid free housing and stored in a climate controlled room.  
Organization of statements should go by the date that they have been given, with room left in the boxes for additional material. Recordings should be treated the same way. While this means shifting will have to happen, looking at the oldest organization of statements has made it clear that this is the way they have been organized. Ideally, a box should be filled to about 3/4s of the way full, with a spacer placed in each to keep material upright.  
An inventory of statements should exist for each box, likely created in Microsoft Access or similar database program. Information about the subject, the contents, dates, and the like MUST be included. Assigning keywords should also occur at this time. (Determinations for keywords should be discussed.)

The matter of appropriate storage is to be determined by availability of space.

Conclusion  
Re-organizing the Magnus Archive is going to be the work of many years, and a balancing act between the goals of the greater Magnus Institute, as well as the principals of the archivist profession. Whatever decisions are made regarding organization and access by the current archival staff will be maintained by all future archivists in the Institute’s future. Their own improved access and technology should be factored into our decision making, just as the actions of previous archivists have factored into ours so far.

 

To: j.sims@magnus-institute.org   
From: s.james@magnus-institute.org  
Date: 4 January 2016  
Subject: RE: Considerations regarding improved intellectual control

Sasha--

Thank you. This is well done. One matter has been excluded, and since this is an official report, we will need to add it in even though I already suspect I know what the answer is: has there been any luck in making sense of the system of tabs and numbers (such as G and H) that Gertrude was using?

Jonathan Sims  
Head Archivist, Archives  
Magnus Institute

To: j.sims@magnus-institute.org   
From: s.james@magnus-institute.org  
Date: 6 January 2016  
Subject: RE: RE: Considerations regarding improved intellectual control

No. The system she was using remains a complete mystery, as none of the statements with similar or even exact lettering share similar content. I’ll add this to the overall summary, and we should keep them on the statements because it does speak to institutional history, but there’s no reason to pay them any attention.

Sasha James  
Assistant Archivist, Archives  
The Magnus Institute

To: s.james@magnus-institute.org   
From: j.sims@magnus-institute.org   
Date: 6 January 2016  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Considerations regarding improved intellectual control  
That’s what I thought.

Don’t bother sending the edited version, just add that in and file it appropriately. When you get a chance, I’d also like to discuss another potential investigation with you, so if you could come by my office tomorrow, I’d appreciate it.

Jonathan Sims  
Head Archivist, Archives  
The Magnus Institute

To: j.sims@magnus-institute.org   
From: s.james@magnus-institute.org  
Date: 6 January 2016  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Considerations regarding improved intellectual control

Will do.

Sasha James  
Assistant Archivist, Archives  
The Magnus Institute


End file.
